An Early Arrival
by commander-cullywully
Summary: Cullen/F!Trevelyan Oneshot- SFW- This is the result of a prompt sent to me on tumblr: Inquisitor sees Cullen without product in his hair & thinks the curls are super cute.


Gwyn approached the door to Cullen's office, two cups in her free hand. She had returned earlier than expected from her last mission and wanted to surprise him with some morning tea. When they first came to Skyhold, Gwyn had insisted on knocking on his door. She'd noticed very few soldiers or servants did so and thought she'd attempt to give him some kind of boundaries. After much encouragement from him and as their relationship evolved, she often found herself entering as she pleased. As the door creaked open, Gwyn realized the room was empty. Sighing, she approached his desk and set the cups down.

"Cullen?" She looked to the ladder leading up to his quarters. She cocked her head in multiple directions, attempting to catch a glimpse of movement. It looked reasonably dark up there, aside from the small bursts of daylight pouring in from the holes in his roof. She looked back at his desk, paperwork in organized piles set there, along with a few scrolls that were waiting to be read here. She had noticed that the pile of books and scrolls on his chair had been removed, and the chair had been neatly pushed closer to his desk. Had he honestly not woken yet? Perhaps she missed him and he was already out in the training yard with recruits for the day. She set one foot on the bottom rung and gripped the side of the ladder.

"Cullen? Are you up there?" She waited a beat before beginning her climb, but was interrupted by movement above.

"Maker's breath, Gwyn. What are you doing here?" He groaned out sleepily from above. Smiling cheekily, Gwyn moved up a rung.

"May I come up?"

"Yes- actually, no. Wait." More movement as he scuffled. Gwyn frowned and stepped down from the ladder.

"So you both want and not want me up there?" She crossed her arms and busied herself with the contents of his desk. Reports from her and guard-captains were settled in the piles, along with training schedules and, in another part of his desk, sat the beginnings of a letter. She glanced back at the ladder before leaning over to read.

"So, what _are _you doing here?" His voice was closer; he was probably getting dressed, she assumed.

"The journey home was shorter than expected…though, that's partly my doing simply because the whole way back here, Sera talked about cakes. I'm not entirely sure how it even started, to be honest, but I had no idea someone could be so passionate about sweets." She rubbed her temples at the very memory as she craned her neck to read parts of the letter, noticing that, in his swift handwriting, he had written _Gwyn _in the middle. "Then I was just tired _and _hungry."

"But what brings you _here_?" Cullen yawned as he moved behind her, causing her to hurriedly grab the tea cups.

"Do I need a reason?" She laughed. "Well I came to…" her voice faltered as she turned around. "Surprise you." Cullen stood in front of her, his usual controlled blonde locks slightly unkempt and….curly. She stared, her mouth gaping open, which only caused Cullen's ears to redden. Her eyes traveled up and down as she finally came to the realization that he wasn't even wearing the bulk of his armor- just his breeches and an undershirt. She willed her eyes to meet his gaze.

"I brought you tea." She responded, hiding a smile. Cullen nervously ran a hand through his hair and brought the cup to his lips, eyeing her with curiosity over the rim. He moved over to his desk, hoping to avoid embarrassment. She sidled up to him, letting her free hand grasp his shoulder. Finally she allowed her hand to travel up the back of his neck and playfully run through his soft curls.

"You look…different." She decided, a smile on her face. Cullen turned his head.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You look…softer. Does that makes sense?" She frowned for a moment before leaning over his shoulder and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Nevertheless, I think you look adorable." She took another sip of her tea and leaned against the arm of his chair, her free hand entangling itself in the blonde curls.

"Is that so?" He laughed, pulling her into his lap. A small shriek of happiness left her as he cupped her face with one of her hands. His fingers traced the small scar on her right cheek, then traveled down her jawline. A smile crept on her face as he lowered his head to kiss her gently, which never failed to melt her heart. A happy sigh escaped his lips as he buried his head in her neck, breathing in the familiar scent of strawberries on her skin. "Maker, have I missed you." He murmured softly. He nuzzled the exposed skin as she ran her fingers through the curls again.

"I am sorry I woke you. I know you don't get much sleep as it is. However, I'm not sorry I got to see you like this." Her fingers tucked some unkempt curls behind his ears. He smiled at the warmth of her touch.

"Ah, yes. Sleep. I believe that was something prescribed by you, if I remember correctly." He took her hands in his and kissed them as Gwyn grinned mischievously.

"I think we could work something out." She winked. Cullen raised an eyebrow and pulled Gwyn closer to him in his lap. His voice lowered,

"What exactly did you have in mind?" His head neared hers once more. Her fingers entangled themselves in the curls at the base of his neck as he bent to kiss her tenderly. She made an appreciative noise as his hands reached the small of her back. She pulled away for a moment, breathless as she rested her forehead against his.

"I think we're on the right track," she murmured softly.


End file.
